Justin Hurwitz
| birth_date = | birth_place = Los Angeles County, California, U.S. | status = | death_date = | death_place = | alias = | education = Nicolet High School | alma_mater = Harvard University | occupation = Composer, screenwriter | agent = | known_for = | credits = | salary = | networth = | title = | children = | parents = Ken Hurwitz Gail Hurwitz | relatives = | family = | URL = }} Justin Gabriel Hurwitz (born January 22, 1985)Jewish Weekly: "The tribe goes to the Oscars" by Nate Bloom. February 13, 2017. is an American film composer and a television writer. He is best known for his longtime collaboration with director Damien Chazelle, scoring each of his films: Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009), Whiplash (2014), La La Land (2016), and First Man (2018). For La La Land, he won two Academy Awards: Best Original Score and Best Original Song (for "City of Stars") as well as the Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (for "City of Stars"), and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. For First Man, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. Early life Hurwitz was born in California, the son of Gail (née Halabe), a professional ballet dancer turned registered nurse, and Ken Hurwitz, a writer. Jewish News of Northern California: "News go to the Oscars; Justin Hurwitz's proud Marin mom; etc." by Nate Bloom. February 27, 2017 |''"Both my children are very proud of their Middle Eastern heritage and culture" He is of Jewish descent (from Russia, Poland, Damascus in Syria, and Beirut in Lebanon). Times of Israel: "La La Land: Who knew it was so Jewish" by Francine Wolfsiz February 27, 2017Jerusalem Post: "HOW DID JEWISH TALENT FARE AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES?" January 9, 2017Jewish Telegraph Agency: "Oscars 2017: 7 unexpected Jewish facts" By Gabe Friedman February 23, 2017Connecticut Jewish Ledger: "La La Land's Jewish composer nominated for Oscar" January 25th, 2017 His family moved to Wisconsin in 1998 where he attended Nicolet High School. TMJ4 News: "Nicolet HS graduate Justin Hurwitz wins 2 Golden Globes for 'La La Land'" by Brandon Rook January 9, 2017 Hurwitz attended Harvard University, where he was roommates with director Damien Chazelle.http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/01/harvard-and-its-la-la-land-connection They collaborated on a student film that would become ''Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, which was released in 2009. While in school Hurwitz was a member of the Harvard Lampoon and was an original member of the indie-pop band Chester French with Chazelle. |title=Chester French - Biography|last=Phares|first=Heather|work=Allmusic|accessdate=2009-07-15}} Career After college, Hurwitz and Chazelle moved to Los Angeles where Hurwitz wrote comedy for the sitcom The League and one episode of The Simpsons. Thanks to the success of Guy and Madeline, they were able to obtain financing for their next collaboration, the 2014 film Whiplash – with Hurwitz scoring the film and Chazelle writing and directing. Hurwitz also scored Chazelle's 2016 film La La Land, for which Chazelle won the Oscar for Best Director and Hurwitz won two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song. Filmography Films Television Awards and nominations References External links * }} Category:Justin Hurwitz Category:1985 births Category:American film score composers Category:American television producers Category:American television writers Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent Category:Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Category:Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songwriters Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Harvard Lampoon alumni Category:Jewish American composers Category:Male television writers Category:Living people Category:21st-century American composers Category:John Powell (film composer) Category:Paul Mounsey Category:Matthew Margeson Category:Gavin Greenaway Category:Benj Pasek and Justin Paul